Distractions are serious roadblocks to any kind of progress, especially when it comes to working motivation. They take many forms, such as being on the phone for too long, spending too much time on social media, excessively chatting with friends during working hours, family problems brought to work and so on. Many people do not realize they need to confront the simple fact they are terribly distracted at work, and would rather ignore it than seek help.

To conquer this enemy of success requires deliberate action. You have to see distractions for what they are, and refuse to succumb to them by moving to other priorities. They offer no solution to any long or short-term goals, and if not taken care of they can be detrimental to your profile. It is quite easy to contribute to the world if we enjoy looking back at our accomplishments. Consider these words of wisdom about the danger of distractions.

“Sometimes it is healthy to take a step back from issues in order to see them in their true nature - futile distractions that are putting our resolve to the test.”

We have highlighted seven of the greatest ‘distraction actions’ you should take a look at if you intend to transform your work production. Granted, some of these distractions are repetitive but do not let this keep you from finding the solutions within the phrases.

1. Make your position clear

This takes the deliberate decision to realize where you have been party to distractions, and clarify how well you have contributed to the solution. You may want to pause here, look at the issue from all angles and write down all the thoughts or actions you can think of.

Some of the distractions may threaten the possibility of making your business downturn, or just be waiting for a potential customer to return your calls. The main issue here is not the specific scenario, it’s about aligning your focus in the right direction. The greater task is to identify the issue.

2. Discover your role

The faster you admit you have played a role in the issue of distraction, the faster you can combat it. Find out where you have contributed to the larger problem, both for good and bad reasons, and also whether you have welcomed the idea of tackling a minor rather than a greater and far more important challenge. The moment you allow fear concerning the business world to creep into your life, the easier it is to be distracted by the same things we try our best to ignore.

3. Improve your perspective

As mentioned earlier, it is prudent to take a step back from issues. This achieves tremendous results; one of which is helping you widen your perspective, which in turn helps you see the distractions from a good viewpoint. Once you have seen them for what they are, you can resolve within yourself to avoid falling into the trap over and over again. Find the most serious part of your brain, and agree with it to immediately get back on the wheel of success.

4. Think past the distraction

Another great way to put distraction in its place is allowing your mind to process the thoughts past it. When you are tempted to veer off the track of productivity and engage in time-wasting and productivity-killing distractions, ask yourself some of these important questions. “Will this conversation, or going through this social media page, do me any good?” and “will I be crucified if I don’t go there right now?” Pause and consider the answers. The beauty of such a decision is that it can have a ripple effect on the staff around you and eventually, everyone will pick up on the tips to employ when trying to nip the distraction issue in the bud.

5. Have a daily theme

If distraction has weighed heavily on you, you might want to take another approach where you “set the scene” for every day. You can do this every time you set up shop in the evening or night before going to bed. This is powerful, as it plays a trick on your mind to keep it active and stick to a certain theme throughout the day. It keeps you glued to the goals you have to achieve by end of the day, and therefore keeps you from engaging in distracting activities. Put boundaries in your theme like the following:

1. Letting your callers leave you voicemail messages for a while as you work

6. Be ready

Change is not always great but it can be greatly rewarding and fulfilling. This is an example of a rewarding experience, assuming the distraction battle is won. The process of change might not feel good because it works against nature - what you most probably enjoy doing. The analogy is like that of exercise and watching your diet as a way to cut weight and look good. The process is uncomfortable, but the reward is great. So be ready to face the consequences such as losing a few friends, being a little behind in unnecessary social media updates and not enjoying speaking on the phone for hours.

7. Give yourself a break

Like all other things in life, some failure is inevitable. In this journey of blocking out distractions, the chances of falling down are great but you must get up, dust yourself down and get back to it again. Sometimes you follow every rule in the book but the conversation is just too sweet and you can’t help but participate in it, or the social media has a sizzling hot story about the life of the latest celebrity you admire and you itch to read it to the end, only to notice you wasted time on it. When you set daily themes and keep veering off the track, the solution is to find your way back to the game. Fake it until you make it!

So there you have it! Resolve within yourself to take a U-turn away from distractions. The good thing about these practical actions is that they work for any area in life, be it family, work, social responsibility, or religion.

Are there any more distraction actions we left out that are helpful in increasing productivity and a sense of achievement? We would love to hear about them in our comment sections below, so feel free to write to us.